Update 23:55 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – News is coming in Wednesday evening that 46 people have died from floods in the town of La Plata, Argentina, near the capital. Heavy rains and flooding were reported earlier in the day by local media to have killed five people in Argentina Tuesday 2 April. The rainfall brought the [...]
Philippines: 850,000 people affected by floods
August 8, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – After 11 days of monsoon rains, floods in the Philippines may have displaced over 850,000 people, creating an emergency situation in the country. More than 60 people have reportedly died as a result of flooding, 16 of them in the capital, Manila. Cars and buses were stalled on the streets of Manila [...]
UK provides additional funds for flood-hit Pakistan
August 7, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, IOM, announced today 7 August, that the UK has donated an additional five million pounds to the organization to provide shelter to residents of the Sindh province in Pakistan which was severely affected by the 2010 floods. “The project extension will help an additional 10,000 vulnerable [...]
Swiss nuclear reactors could withstand strong earthquakes, says Ensi report
July 9, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss nuclear reactors would be able to withstand strong earthquakes, with “no prejudice to humans or the environment due to radioactivity”, according to a report issued Monday by Ensi, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate. Georg Schwarz, head of the nuclear power plant division says it is “guaranteed” that the plants can [...]
Russian floods: day of mourning as death toll tops 170
July 9, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Heavy flooding and a lack of preparedness are taking a toll in southern Russia, which has been declared a disaster area by President Vladimir Putin, who declared Monday a national day of mourning. At least 170 people have died and more than 100 were hospitalized when a deluge hit the Krasnodar region [...]
Most of Switzerland on standby for rising waters, torrential rains
July 5, 2012 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Federal Office of the Environment said Thursday 5 July that it is watching the waterways situation carefully and coordinating standby actions in cantons with alerts from the national weather service, MeteoSwiss. The ground throughout Switzerland is well soaked, the federal office notes, and heavy rains that may fall late Thursday [...]
Swiss Re doubles profits, but warns of Thai floods’ impact
November 3, 2011 by
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Swiss Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurance companies, has third quarter net income of $1.3 billion, a 118 percent increase over the same period a year earlier, the company announced Thursday 3 November. The strong performance was due to a combination of what the company calls “a moderate natural catastrophe experience [...]
Floods move into Bangkok
October 20, 2011 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The massive flooding that has hit Thailand now threatens the capital, Bangkok, and its governor, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, has ordered the city to open its floodgates to let water run out to the sea through city canals. There are fears in some government quarters that the system may leak, causing flooding in the [...]
Bangkok governor sluices floodgate rumours
October 14, 2011 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The governor of Bangkok offered what the Bangkok Post called “a testy response” Thursday 13 October after the minister for science and technology caused panic by issuing an evacuation order for northern Bangkok and nearby areas. The order was based on a misunderstanding and was corrected, but not before damage was done. [...]
Geneva-based aid groups gear up for Pakistan flood victims
September 20, 2011 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – United Nations groups based in Geneva, already under enormous pressure to meet demands for help in the Horn of Africa, are increasing their efforts to help Pakistan’s flood victims. Pakistan has been hit hard by floods for the second year in a row. Some 6 million people have been affected by this [...]
